Late Summer in the Huon Valley

Where does the time go?  Although it's been quiet in this space, away from here it has been a year filled with parenting, work, gardening, and of course, eating.   Amongst all that I find it hard to find the time to write here.  However, there are exciting new things happening in our world, and I shall tell you about them as soon, and hope to have some space to write here more often. 

In the meantime, I am very excited to let you know about two workshops I'm running here at my home in the Huon Valley.  Next March, the delightful Vanessa “The Hungry Chook” Miles, will join me to teach two very special Tasmanian workshops sharing, learning, cooking and eating.

Middle March is the best time of year in Tasmania, the weather’s warm, harvest is at its peak, and it’s the perfect time to be outside cooking and eating.

We’ve put together two workshops over one weekend to make the most of this special time of year. 

On Saturday it will be a seasonal long table lunch in the garden, inspired by our Italian travels. And on Sunday we’ll haul out the preserving pans for a day of bottling and jam making.  Most of the ingredients will be sourced from the garden, or friends’ farms in the Huon Valley, such as beautiful free-range eggs, Bruny Island Cheese and Little Grove Olive Oil, and if not from the valley then from the Island where possible. 

LATE SUMMER GARDEN LUNCH  (Italian Inspired)

Saturday 17 March 10am - 3:30pm - $275

A day of harvesting cooking and eating at my farmhouse cottage in the beautiful Huon Valley. The day will start with coffee and cake before a stroll through the kitchen garden where we’ll harvest produce for the day such as tomatoes, potatoes, herbs, zucchini, scarlet runner beans, and fragrant basil. 

Then we’ll return to the kitchen to create a menu inspired by our time in Italy.  We’ll make Vanessa’s amazing silky pasta, a creamy ricotta using local milk, an Italian inspired fish and vegetable dish, and to finish, peaches with amaretti roasted in the wood fire oven.  

We’ll be cooking both in the kitchen and outside in the wood oven ‘al forno’!  

The day will end outside in the garden with a long table lunch that you helped prepare.

The class includes recipes, morning tea and a three course lunch with wine. Both workshops will be limited to an intimate group of eight guests.

Click here to book. 

PRESERVING THE LATE SUMMER HARVEST

Sunday 18 March 10am – 3:30pm - $275

March is peak preserving season in Tasmania, so we’re sharing a few of our favourite recipes for preserving the late summer bounty. In this full-day workshop we will introduce you to the fundamental techniques and skills of home preserving, including selecting fruit, sugar, pectin, acid and the equipment you need to pot up and seal those fruity preserves. We’ll use Huon Valley grown fruit to prepare and make our own jam, and forage for some flavourings growing wild in the garden - think apple mint, rose geranium and lemon thyme. You’ll learn the secret of a delicious, long keeping tomato sauce ‘salsa pronta’, for your pasta and we’ll bottle late summer peaches from a nearby orchard using the Fowlers Vacola method. We’ll also do a special cordial syrup for winter.

After all that hard work we’ll enjoy a light lunch in the garden, before finishing off the bottling so you can go home with a few treats for your autumn pantry.

The class includes recipes, morning tea, a light lunch and preserves to take home.

Click here to book

The fine print

Due to logistics we are unable to issue refunds, however we are happy for you to send someone in your place. Please advise us of any dietary requirements at time of booking. Menu may vary due to the nature of seasonal produce.

3 comments

Share: